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Savors
Our Fall menu is now fully up and running. Even though it is still warmish, we just couldn’t wait to get some of our cold weather items on the menu. The extra few weeks of weather allows us to make small changes too, and I feel we have a great menu that reflects the foods of the season.
You can see our new menu here http://sipsavor.com/dinner-menu/ .

Highlights:
We’ve finally found a source for first quality USA wild caught Red King Crab. Some of you know that we stopped selling crab about a year ago because our supplier would not divulge the source. At the time it was our #1 selling item, but I just couldn’t buy it without knowing the source and who/how it was landed. Our new crab is true Alaskan King Crab and tastes fantastic. We have a Crab cocktail and Crab Cakes on the menu.

We’ve also added our short rib and risotto, and we top this off with a beautiful mushroom gravy made with Oyster mushrooms from Fun Guys Mushrooms in Denton. get it? Funghi’s?

And we now serve Duroc Pork Osso Buco, slow cooked for hours and served with a Tuscan bean soup. Amazing comfort food.

We still have Alaskan Halibut and Salmon while they are in season, and we have our great filet mignon served with asparagus and Red White and Blue potatoes. Delicious!

Sips
Our list has grown a bit. We are now over 100 wines and we serve 75 by the glass. The best way to select your beverage is to taste, and our professional wait staff will provide samples to help you find a wine to pair with your meal, or to just sip and enjoy.

New this month are:
Freemark Abbey wines of distinction including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay
Reginato sparkling malbec
Elyse Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and a great field blend named Nero Misto

Events and other news

Our Early Sips are Tuesday through Friday nights from 430pm to 600pm for $7 a glass. And our shareable appetizers start at $7 too. This is perfect porch and patio weather and of course we have plenty of seating inside as well.

As you prepare for the Fall and holiday season think of us for your wine gifts. Gift boxes start at $29 and you can add any of our wines to your box at a 40% discount. Many of our wines are made exclusively for restaurants and are in high demand, and this is a great way to treat your family, friends and coworkers. Give us a day or so and we can have your wine gift box ready to go.!!

Scratch Kitchen using locally sourced ingredients as discovered
All seafood is USA wild caught and of sustainable species
All land proteins are of the highest brand and never modified by man
Chicken is pasture raised by Windy Meadows Family Farm in Campbell, TX.
Extensive wine selection sourced from wineries that tend their own land and
from small production, family owned properties
75 wines by the glass

This month we have the privelege of tasting five Freemark Abbey wines. This winery started in 1886. Many milestones have been achieved over those many years, including the first female winemaker, the first tasting room in Napa Valley, one of the first vineyard designated wines, and one of 12 wineries that competed in the now famous “The judgement of Paris” in 1976 that put Napa on the map as a World class wine grape growing region.

$15 for the tasting and the fee is waived with a purchase of 3 bottles or more. Bottle pricing is at or below winery prices and offered on this date only. Rsvp at http://sipsavor.com and note tasting. If you will dine with us this night mention dinner too.

Savors
I can’t get to Fall fast enough. It is my favorite time of the year for everything….cool nights, late season thunderstorms, golf, entertaining and best of all our Fall menu. We are sneaking up on the Fall menu this year, a step at a time. We’ve already added our Tomato Soup in Puff Pastry, and we are perfecting our Mushroom Parmesan Risotto. We’ve created an amazing way to serve sweet potatoes and it’s about time to bring back our Pecan Pie. Oh, don’t forget the Spinach & Beet Dip!
Watch for pictures of our new menu items on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sipandsavor/
Saturday Brunch will show its Fall colors too with slow braised Short Ribs and Shrimp & Grits coming back to join our Belgian Waffle, Smoked Salmon and other favorites. You can now order off the dinner menu for Saturday brunch too.
We’d love to see you this Fall. You can make reservations for dinner or brunch at http://sipsavor.com/reservations/

Sips
Our list has grown a bit. We are now over 100 wines and we serve 75 by the glass. The best way to select your beverage is to taste, and our professional wait staff will provide samples to help you find a wine to pair with your meal, or to just sip and enjoy.
We have some great new wines on the list. Check these out the next time you are in, all available by the glass or bottle:
2014 Calera Chardonnay, Central Coast
2013 Sohm & Kracher Gruner Veltliner, Austria
2012 Calera Pinot Noir, Mills Vny, Mt. Harlan
2012 Lucien le Moine Pinot Noir, Burgundy, France

Events and other news
Wednesday, October 5 – Meet, Greet and Sip with Freemark Abbey Winery. Freemark Abbey is a Napa original, having built the original cellar in 1886 and can boast the first female winemaker on record, Josephine Tychson. We are in the process of selecting wines for your enjoyment and will post them to our website soon. As always our tastings are $15 per person, comped with the purchase of 3 bottles. When making reservations please let us know if you will have dinner before or after the tasting so we can hold a table for you. Reservations are at http://sipsavor.com/reservations/

Tuesday through Thursday nights from 430pm to 630pm come in to enjoy our special select wines for $7 a glass. Ever had a Muller Thurgau, Albarino or Bonarda? Here’s your chance!!

As you prepare for the Fall and holiday season think of us for pies and wine gift boxes. By the end of September we will be making fresh pecan, chocolate cream and apple pies to go with our coconut cream pie. And we will have wine gift boxes for you to pre-order for local friends and family to take with you. You will be able to customize your gift boxes with wines from our list (discounted, of course) and your selection of gourmet foods as well. Look for more information on our website in the coming weeks.

Calera Wine Meet Greet and Sip
Tuesday August 16, 2016
Between the hours of 600PM and 730PM
Upstairs

Marta Rich, National Sales Manager for Calera, will remember you! Whether you met her at a tasting in California or in an airport along the way Marta is a professional people lover. She takes her job seriously and loves to connect with Calera lovers across the country bringing the fruits of labor to those who can’t visit in person. $15 for the tasting, fee waived on purchase of 3 bottles or more. Rsvp at sipsavor.com and note tasting. If you will dine with us this night mention dinner too.

Calera is a vision, and Calera’s wines truly express the sense of place. Rather than follow the recommended path, Josh Jensen became a pioneer in search of the perfect spot on the globe to grow grapes. Taking his cue from the great domaines of Burgundy which have grown grapes in limestone soil for centuries, he set out in search of the perfect spot in California to create wines unique to the world but in the style of the greatest wines of France. Site selection was vital as he ventured off the grid to plant on the site of an old limekiln in the Gavilan Mountains of California. Today Calera wines still express that pioneer spirit and are revered the world over. We are proud to report that even Robert Parker is convinced: “Calera is one of the most compelling Pinot Noir specialists of not only the New World, but of Planet Earth.”

Grassi Wine Company Meet Greet and Sip
July 27, 2016
600PM to 730PM
Upstairs Family Room

Mark Grassi will be here to greet you and talk about his fabulous wines and the Napa Valley life. Come and enjoy his wines, our apps and take a few bottles home with you too! $15 for the tasting, fee waived on purchase of 3 bottles or more. Rsvp at sipsavor.com and note tasting. If you will dine with us this night mention dinner too.

The Grassi vineyard site was once an ancient riverbed. It sits on a bench above the valley floor at the bottom of Soda Canyon Road below the Atlas Peak Appellation.
This Italian roots family has produced great Napa wines since 2008 when their 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon was released to rave reviews. Since then they have expanded to producing a wonderful Sangiovese Merlot blend and an aromatic white with the Ribolla Fialla grape.
Their winemaker is Robbie Meyer, who has some of his own labels and has worked with icons such as Peter Michael Winery, Lewis Cellars and Jericho Canyon. He is a UC Davis boy.
Grassi Wine Company is a proud member of 1% for the Planet. All businesses in this association commit to donating 1% of their net revenues to efforts that protect and restore our natural environment.

This month Sip & Savor celebrates its 5th anniversary. Time is a funny concept. I can remember when 5 days was an eternity while working in the corporate world, yet 5 years doing what I love is more like 5 days. It has gone by so fast.

So, just a quick recap on what has changed (and not changed) in those 5 years.

We now have 20 tables, almost a big boy restaurant. We now “turn tables”, which in industry terms means we use tables more than once during service. I can remember when we had some tables that grew cobwebs from lack of use. A couple of our chairs actually got up and left for lack of attention! Now we have a great table management app and reservation system to keep on top of it all. A very nice problem to have.

We are now a dinner house, with a brunch on Saturdays. Lunches were a lot of fun our first four years, and we met many nice people that made lunch a habit here. As we grew we found ourselve needing more time to prepare for dinner service, and ultimately we decided to focus on dinner and evening wine tastings and events. I still get in the kitchen to work on recipes and menus, and I now have a great kitchen team doing the lion’s share of the work. Together we are better than we have ever been.

Our wine list has matured. We are picking better wines, finding better value and expanding beyond Napa and Sonoma as we find new grapes and taste profiles. I thought I knew a lot about wine until I had to build and grow a restaurant wine program. Five years later and I am still learning with each tasting opportunity and visit to new wineries. Please allow me to brag just for a moment that our wine list is rated by Open Table as the best list in all of Dallas Fort Worth! Sip & Savor is a great place to explore and learn about wine. Ask for me, and I’ll find something great to pour for you.

What hasn’t changed?

We are still first and always a wine country inspired restaurant. This means we use fresh ingredients, local if possible, and we don’t drown our entrees in sauces and spices. No reason to hide quality ingredients behind other flavors. Teresa and I are inspired by menu items from great Napa and Sonoma restaurants like Dry Creek Kitchen, Hurley’s, Redd, Bistro Jeanty, Cook and Auberge du Soleil to name a few. You know how guys like to go aisle by aisle at Home Depot? I like to go restaurant by restaurant in Napa.

Teresa and I metiiculously source all of our ingredients. We have always filtered our selections by quality first, and we love it when we find a local source. Last month we added pasture raised chicken from Windy Meadows Family Farm in Campbell, Texas, and a few months ago we found Haute goat cheese out of Longview. All of our seafood is sourced direct from the fishing family and air freighted to us, and is always wild caught and of a sustainable species. Oh, by the way, all of our seafood comes from U.S. waters too. Rare is it that a restaurant can tell you when and where its seafood was landed, and in many cases who the fisher is and what his F/V name is!!

We try. That has never changed. Never will. We are not happy if you are not happy. So we try to make you happy with our food, our service and our ambiance. We don’t always succeed, as some reviewers remind us. But we still try on every day, and by every guest.

One of top 100 Wineries in the world in 2015 Wine & Spirits Magazine!!

Y Rousseau Wines is the realization of a dream that began long ago in France and evolved as Yannick Rousseau, founder and winemaker, followed his heart and passion to live the ‘Joie de Vivre’ he learned at home.

Yannick was born in the Gascony region in the South-West of France known for its ‘french paradox’ of delicious, rich food, daily wine consumption and impressive longevity of the inhabitants. His life-long journey in wine and food started when he was 5 years old and drank his first glass of homemade wine with Pépé (his grandpa). Pépé hunted his own food, made his own wine, and was an artisan butcher. Everyday, Yannick lived the simple life where his family took the time to enjoy their food, wines and the company of family and friends.

In 1996, Yannick made his first Colombard at Domaine St Lannes in the “Cotes de Gascogne”. He also worked as assistant winemaker at Chateau Montus and Domaine Bouscassé with Alain Brumont, pioneer for the finest wines made in the Madiran appellation. In 1998, Yannick earned a Master’s degree in Enology and Viticulture from University Paul Sabatier in Toulouse.

Since 1999, Yannick has been working his craft in Napa Valley making award winning wines; first, at Newton Vineyards as assistant winemaker where he worked closely with winemaker, Luc Morlet and consulting winemaker, Michel Rolland. Then at Chateau Potelle Winery, 2001-2006. Yannick was pivotal in crafting the cult VGS wines from Mount Veeder. It was his deft hand that guided the creation of consistently rewarded VGS wines. Marketta Fourmeaux, owner and winemaker, invited Yannick back as consultant winemaker for Chateau Potelle in 2006-2007.

In August 2007, Yannick stepped out to look for the ideal vineyards and varietals he believed in. He loves the intense mountain fruit of Mount Veeder and he found one of the last (34 year old) Colombard vineyard in Russian River Valley. The rest of the story is in the wines! A toast to you,

“All for Wine, Wine for All!”

We will be tasting 6 wines and enjoying light complimentary appetizers. Wines include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tannat and Colombard.

Should you decide to stay for dinner remember to make a reservation at sipsavor.com.

Yannick Rousseau wines will be available for sale at winery pricing this night only.

Savors
I introduced my wife, Teresa, to artichokes when we travelled to Carmel and Monterey when we were dating in 1994. My East Texas girl never had one until then, and we have very fond memories of sitting at the restaurant at the La Playa Inn in Carmel eating artichoke and sipping on the bubblies. My menu take on that memory is a shrimp salad stuffed artichoke. Full of white Gulf shrimp, crisp apple, roasted red pepper and avocado, and complimented with a sweet and spicy peppadew coulis, enough for two, on the menu now. Really nice with our Medlock Ames Sauvignon Blanc or the 2012 Emina Verdejo from Spain.

Our Spring dinner and brunch menus are fully up and running. This is the start of the growing season and as every week goes by we have more great fruits and vegetables to play with. It is also Halibut season in Alaska and we’ve got fresh beautiful filets on the menu. We also have been searching for a cut of pork that is unique and wildly flavorful and we should have it on the menu in a week or two.

You are welcome to make reservations for dinner or brunch at http://sipsavor.com/reservations/

Sips
We have a special treat for chardonnay lovers. We have been able to acquire some 2013 Frank Family Lewis Vineyard reserve chardonnay that we are going to sell by the glass. I understand we may be the only restaurant in the country that makes this offer. At $19, you can taste one of the very best Dijon clone chardonnays from the Carneros AVA in Napa. According to Frank Family, “The wine is straw yellow in color. On the nose expresses slow roasted pears and honeysuckle flowers. On the palate, the wine is bright and full bodied, with loads of Meyer lemon and fresh apricot flavors”.

Events
Tuesday through Thursday nights from 430pm to 630pm come in to enjoy our special select wines for $7 a glass. Try an Apolloni pinot gris, Robert Weil Riesling, or Markham Merlot along with others.

Look for more winemaker meet and greet opportunities this late Spring and Summer!

Scratch Kitchen using locally sourced ingredients as discovered
All seafood is USA wild caught and of sustainable species
All land proteins are of the highest brand and never modified by man
Chicken is pasture raised by Windy Meadows Family Farm in Campbell, TX
Extensive wine selection sourced from wineries that tend their own land and
from small production, family owned properties
70+ wines by the glass

A special night tomorrow, Thursday from 630pm to 830pm. We have Lazaro Robledo from Robledo Family Wines in the house, pouring 5 of their favorites for you. We’ve added some great fruit and cheese choices and live music by Anne Hinson to put a fun and tasty evening together. $20++. By the way, the wines will also be available to order at winery pricing this night too!! Make reservations for dinner as well and the tasting is free!!